ArticlePDF Available

The Aftermath of Peak Experiences: Difficult Transitions for Contact Sport Athletes

American Psychological Association
The Humanistic Psychologist
Authors:
Gary Senecal at Assumption College
Gary Senecal
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

Significant attention has been placed recently on the difficulties former contact sport athletes face upon their career transition out of sport as a result of head trauma (Stern, et al., 2011). Yet, many athletes, even in the midst of a difficult career transition, will look back at their career in sport fondly, expressing a sense of nostalgia for what was gained in the process of competition. Somewhat overlooked in the research examining the difficulties faced in athletic career transition is the reality that many athletes simply found their career in sport much more gratifying than life after it. As a result, athletes may find it difficult to recreate a consistent sense of enjoyment and fulfillment in their lives following sport. Even if the athlete has planned thoroughly for a career after sport, it is still possible that his or her competitive experience was simply more satisfying and rewarding than their new career. It is possible that an emotional and motivational vacuum is left behind while navigating the transition out of a satisfying career in sports. The purpose of this paper is to examine the singular sense of satisfaction, the unique emotional expressions, and the peak experiences that former contact sport athletes reported from their careers. Coupled with the examination of these experiences, I will likewise analyze the potential effect that losing the consistency of these experiences so abruptly has had on the career transitions of these athletes.
Content uploaded by Gary Senecal
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Gary Senecal on May 29, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
A preview of this full-text is provided by American Psychological Association.
Learn more
Content available from The Humanistic Psychologist 
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
... 23 Results: 4 major themes of identity, community, risk acceptance, and uniqueness of 24 rugby were identified. None of the players reported plans to reduce participation in 25 rugby. 26 Conclusions: 27 Despite risks of injury there were no plans to reduce participation amongst players 28 interviewed. ...
... Factors such as the contact element (7/10) and the collective work 258 towards something bigger than the self (6/10) would be missed should players end 259 participation. Senecal[25] discussed the difficult transition faced by contact athletes 260 at the end of their sporting careers and the difficulty in replacing the 'peak 261 experiences' felt when playing. The themes of alteration in time, magnitude of joy 262 and elation, and absorbed awareness found in that study are consistent with the 263 aspects of rugby that participants in the current study reported. ...
What keeps male amateur rugby union players committed to the game despite high risk of injury? A qualitative study
Preprint
  • Aug 2024
Objectives: Rugby Union is a popular sport worldwide characterised by high intensity full contact match play. Injuries are common during matches and training. While musculoskeletal injury is expected in such a sport, there is emerging research evidence and increased public awareness of neurodegenerative disease risks. The objectives of the present study are to explore reasons for continued participation despite high risk of injury, gain understanding of perceived importance of participation and insight into why players may play with chronic injury. Design: 10 male amateur rugby union players in Gloucestershire and Yorkshire aged 30±5.75 with 20±6.93 years of playing experience participated in semi-structured interviews with subsequent thematic analysis of transcripts. Results: 4 major themes of identity, community, risk acceptance, and uniqueness of rugby were identified. None of the players reported plans to reduce participation in rugby. Conclusions: Despite risks of injury there were no plans to reduce participation amongst players interviewed. Benefits gained from rugby are abundant and meaningful to players. Understanding these beliefs is helpful for medical staff supporting players, especially through injury. Overall, commitment to amateur rugby union remains strong despite new knowledge of the long-term risks involved. The findings show that amateur rugby union remains a popular sport with benefits extending beyond physical activity.
View
... The practical implications of these investigations are that the more flow in athletes is understood, the more information can be precise to guide their expectations of achieving flow. It matters that athletes have access to such guidance because the finding is that athletes who expect to experience flow regularly develop psychosocial difficulties when these expectations are unrealized (Senecal, 2021). ...
Self-Directed Learning and Psychological Flow Regarding the Differences Among Athletes, Musicians, and Researchers
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2025
Background: Self-directed learning (SDL) most appropriately is learning that is personally selected based on individual values. SDL potentially achieves psychological flow. Flow is an outcome identified and investigated by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Among those whose flow he studied were individuals who engaged in self-directed careers—athletes, musicians, and researchers. Method: Based on their career self-direction, this investigation compares the reports of athletes, musicians, and researchers of Csikszentmihalyi through a qualitative narrative analysis of his relevant forty-seven-year publication record. The included reports have Csikszentmihalyi as an author, are an analysis of athletes, musicians, or researchers, and mention flow. The lack of an empirical study is the reason for exclusion. Results: The results reveal a significant difference between those who experience flow from a performance of their achieved skills and those who experience flow while learning. This examination of Csikszentmihalyi’s studies regarding athletes and musicians identifies that they are most likely to experience flow during performances of their mastered skills, unlike researchers, whose flow occurs during SDL—a distinction unmentioned by Csikszentmihalyi. Conclusions: Although athletes and musicians may self-direct their careers, only the flow of researchers corresponds with SDL. This result meaningfully extends the literature on SDL and flow, offering direction for future empirical studies and educational opportunities.
View
View
Peak and Plateau Communication Experiences (PCEs) : An International Call for Inquiry
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2023
Maslow’s landmark conception of the generalised “peak experience” is revisited. Next the concept of “peak” communication experiences (PCEs), originally derived four decades ago from the generalised Maslow model, is reviewed. PCEs are defined as our times of highest happiness and fulfilment arising from our communication with others. While “peak” communication experiences have received scant conceptual and empirical attention, the work that has been done is briefly surveyed. The under-told story of Maslow’s significant end-of-life conceptualising of “plateau” experiencing is then highlighted, and it is recommended that “plateau” communication experiences be included within the upper-distribution PCE domain going forward. The development of a “positive communication” paradigm within the communication discipline is traced, and it is suggested there now exists a foundational knowledge structure to provide conceptual home for inquiry into PCEs. Lastly, suggestions for the exploration of both “plateau” and “peak” communication experiences (PCEs) are offered.
View
Attempting to capture the ineffable quality: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of an epiphany
Article
  • Jan 2021
Examination of how people experience positive change outside the therapy room is of use to those seeking to support people who want to change within the realms of psychotherapy. The qualitative literature which has examined the topic of sudden and profound transformation has mostly focused on the antecedent and facilitative factors associated with this form of change. This study aims to explore the epiphanies of six participants who took part in unstructured interviews. The data generated was subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three major themes emerge: (i) Making sense of an ineffable experience; (ii) Who I was, what happened, who I am now; (iii) Illuminating purpose – each associated with a subtheme. A found poem is also presented for each major theme. The implications for therapeutic practitioners, mental health professionals and educators are discussed. It is concluded that the empathic understanding of such experiences may be enhanced from engaging with the dimensions of epiphanic experiences described here.
View
The search for freedom in extreme sports: A phenomenological exploration
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2013
  • PSYCHOL SPORT EXERC
Participation in extreme sports is continuing to grow, yet there is still little understanding of participant motivations in such sports. The purpose of this paper is to report on one aspect of motivation in extreme sports, the search for freedom. The study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Fifteen international extreme sport participants who participated in sports such as BASE jumping, big wave surfing, extreme mountaineering, extreme skiing, rope free climbing and waterfall kayaking were interviewed about their experience of participating in an extreme sport. Results reveal six elements of freedom: freedom from constraints, freedom as movement, freedom as letting go of the need for control, freedom as the release of fear, freedom as being at one, and finally freedom as choice and responsibility. The findings reveal that motivations in extreme sport do not simply mirror traditional images of risk taking and adrenaline and that motivations in extreme sports also include an exploration of the ways in which humans seek fundamental human values.
View
Elite athletes and retirement: Identity, choice and agency
Article
Full-text available
Retirement from elite sport can be highly distressing for athletes, and many report experiencing depression and anxiety in adjusting to this transition. In this article, a discursive psychological approach is employed to explore constructions of choice and identity around elite athletes’ retirements within Australian newsprint media. Within these accounts, three ‘types’ of retirements were identified: retirements occurring in relation to age, injury, or active choice. Retiring with individual agency and at an appropriate time was repeatedly privileged, whereas retiring in different ways was routinely problematised. In privileging particular ways of retiring, certain identity positions were made more accessible than others. Consequently, certain actions and choices are deemed appropriate (or not) for athletes, ultimately constraining decision-making around retirement. The implications of such limited identity positions and choices are explored in relation to the psychological distress and clinical concerns that emerge among many athletes in the transition out of elite sport.
View
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Article
Full-text available
Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data. We outline what thematic analysis is, locating it in relation to other qualitative analytic methods that search for themes or patterns, and in relation to different epistemological and ontological positions. We then provide clear guidelines to those wanting to start thematic analysis, or conduct it in a more deliberate and rigorous way, and consider potential pitfalls in conducting thematic analysis. Finally, we outline the disadvantages and advantages of thematic analysis. We conclude by advocating thematic analysis as a useful and flexible method for qualitative research in and beyond psychology.
View
Extreme sports are good for your health: A phenomenological understanding of fear and anxiety in extreme sport
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2012
Extreme sports are traditionally explored from a risk-taking perspective which often assumes that participants do not experience fear. In this article we explore participants' experience of fear associated with participation in extreme sports. An interpretive phenomenological method was used with 15 participants. Four themes emerged: experience of fear, relationship to fear, management of fear, and fear and self-transformation. Participants' experience of extreme sports was revealed in terms of intense fear but this fear was integrated and experienced as a potentially meaningful and constructive event in their lives. The findings have implications for understanding fear as a potentially transformative process.
View
Career Problems and Retirement among Elite Athletes: The Female Tennis Professional
Article
  • Sep 1988
This investigation used qualitative techniques to identify and analyze the experiences of elite female tennis professionals and their perceptions of their competitive years and subsequent retirement from the sport. Through a system of networking and snowball sampling techniques (Babbie, 1986), 28 athletes who had played on the professional tennis circuit were contacted and asked to complete an extensive semistructured questionnaire; 20 completed questionnaires were returned. The questionnaire asked players to recount their earliest expectations and goals in competitive tennis, their experiences and perceptions during their most competitive years, and their reasons for and reactions to retirement from the tour. In general, results indicated that the athletes did not find disengagement from their competitive years traumatic, but rather found it as an opportunity to reestablish more traditional societal roles and lifestyles.
View
Susceptibility for Depression in Current and Retired Student Athletes
Article
  • May 2013
Background: Depression, a disabling mental disorder, adversely affects work, sleeping and eating habits, and family. Research does not exist on depression among athletes who have recently graduated from college and retired from their sport after exhausting their collegiate eligibility. Hypothesis: Changes in lifestyle and loss of personal identity, which follow college athletics, would put former college athletes at an increased risk for depression. Methods: A survey was sent to former (n = 163) and current (n = 117) college athletes to correlate depression and retirement from athletics. Results: Depression levels were significantly higher (P = 0.03) in current college athletes (16.77%, n = 27) compared with former, graduated college athletes (8.03%, n = 9). Conclusion: Completion of college sports may not increase levels of depression. There is a need for increased awareness, education, screening, and intervention for depression in college athletes. Clinical relevance: This study suggests that student athletes' depression levels should be monitored during their participation in college sports.
View
View
Retirement from sport and the loss of athletic identity
Article
  • Apr 1997
The purpose of this study was to examine how a sample of elite athletes coped with distressful reactions to retirement from sport. As part of a larger research project, 15 former elite athletes were identified as having experienced severe emotional difficulties upon athletic career termination. Through use of a micronarrative methodology, it was determined that account making can be a significant moderator of distress during the career transition process. In addition, the quality of the account making was found to be related to present affect and overall success in coping with athletic retirement. Finally, changes in athletic identity were found to be significant determinants of adjustment for athletes upon career termination. Suggestions are presented for future research on treatment strategies for distressful reactions to retirement from sport.
View
Toward A Psychology of Being
Article
  • Jan 1968
This book is a continuation of my Motivation and Personality, published in 1954. It was constructed in about the same way, that is, by doing one piece at a time of the larger theoretical structure. It is a predecessor to work yet to be done toward the construction of a comprehensive, systematic and empirically based general psychology and philosophy which includes both the depths and the heights of human nature. The last chapter is to some extent a program for this future work, and serves as a bridge to it. It is a first attempt to integrate the "health-and-growth psychology" with psychopathology and psychoanalytic dynamics, the dynamic with the holistic, Becoming with Being, good with evil, positive with negative. Phrased in another way, it is an effort to build on the general psychoanalytic base and on the scientific-positivistic base of experimental psychology, the Eupsychian, B-psychological and metamotivational superstructure which these two systems lack, going beyond their limits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
View
Long-Term Consequences of Repetitive Brain Trauma: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
Article
  • Oct 2011
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been linked to participation in contact sports such as boxing and American football. CTE results in a progressive decline of memory and cognition, as well as depression, suicidal behavior, poor impulse control, aggressiveness, parkinsonism, and, eventually, dementia. In some individuals, it is associated with motor neuron disease, referred to as chronic traumatic encephalomyelopathy, which appears clinically similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Results of neuropathologic research has shown that CTE may be more common in former contact sports athletes than previously believed. It is believed that repetitive brain trauma, with or possibly without symptomatic concussion, is responsible for neurodegenerative changes highlighted by accumulations of hyperphosphorylated tau and TDP-43 proteins. Given the millions of youth, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes participating in contact sports that involve repetitive brain trauma, as well as military personnel exposed to repeated brain trauma from blast and other injuries in the military, CTE represents an important public health issue. Focused and intensive study of the risk factors and in vivo diagnosis of CTE will potentially allow for methods to prevent and treat these diseases. Research also will provide policy makers with the scientific knowledge to make appropriate guidelines regarding the prevention and treatment of brain trauma in all levels of athletic involvement as well as the military theater.
View